


Worth the Wait

by HoodinisHarmony



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Afterlife, Angst, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-01
Updated: 2020-07-01
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:00:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25013578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HoodinisHarmony/pseuds/HoodinisHarmony
Summary: He'd always wait for her. Even if it meant waiting for her to die to join him.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Harry Potter
Comments: 4
Kudos: 57





	1. Chapter 1

The stars looked beautiful, he realized. 

The sky was clear, giving him a clear view of the many lights that shone brightly above him. A cool breeze tickled his face, and he closed his eyes at the comfort they brought. 

It was a peaceful moment, he thought to himself.

Then he coughed heavily, and blood splattered over his clothes.

Ah, bugger. Almost forgot about the pain for a moment

Nearby laid the motionless body of who was once the most feared Dark Lord in existence, and Harry had just beat the absolute living hell out of him. 

But, as evidenced by the numerous gashes across his body, he didn’t come out unscathed. He pushed himself upright, grunting heavily from the pain the wracked his body.

As he propped himself on a tree trunk, he could see figures popping in from a distance, and he smiled at the sight of one of the arrivals, watching as her bushy hair bounced slightly as the group took off towards him.

He coughed again, his breaths coming in and out in rasps, growing shorter.

“Harry! Harry stay with us!” Hermione slid onto her knees, cupping his face gently. He leaned into her hands, and he absentmindedly noticed someone calling out for blood replenishing potions.

“Too...too late for those,” he mumbled out, his eyelids drooping slightly. “Feels like my blood is filled with dark magic.”

She shook her head, tears already flowing down her face. She felt his hand gently lift her head up, watching as his green eyes sparkled despite the many injuries he had.

“I really wish I could’ve said things earlier...” She teared up again, remember his final confession to her before he disappeared. “But at least you know now.”

He pulled her in gently, kissing her lips, his tears mixing with hers. 

“It wasn’t supposed to end like this,” she sobbed out. Her body shook heavily, her hand gripping his tightly. “We were supposed to grow old and start a family, not leave each other only hours after!”

He heard more pops start sounding off, hearing the typical late call of “Aurors!” off in the distance. Despite his situation, he snorted and rolled his eyes. He focused back on Hermione, trying his best to comfort her.

“You did it Harry...you saved everyone again.” She said softly.

“You.”

Her head shot up again, looking into his eyes. He gave her a weak grin, before speaking again.

“I saved you. I didn’t do it for anyone else, it was for you.” She gently took him into her arms and squeezed, feeling his arms wrap around her as best as he could. 

“Hermione, before I go, can you do one last thing for me?” She let out another choked sob, before nodding.

“Anything for you, Harry.”

“Can...can you just hold me?” And despite her heart feeling like it was shattering, she did as he asked, wrapping him up in her arms, both looking off into the night sky.

“I don’t think there’s anywhere else I’d rather be,” he said gently. She merely just gripped him tighter, not wanting to lose a single moment. 

He saw black spots start engulfing his vision, and it was like Hermione knew as well. 

“No,” she said. “Not yet, please...just a little bit longer.” He laid a hand on top of hers, rubbing his thumb over them. 

“Don’t come after me too soon, okay?” His eyes began to close, and his hearing started to get worse. 

“But how will I know you’ll be there?” She cried out. “You can’t wait forever.”

He merely smiled. “There’s no other girl for me Hermione. I’ll be waiting with open arms.”

“Then I’ll be there, Harry. I’ll live a good life for you, then I’ll be there.”

He grinned, and before he faded away, said one last thing.

“Meet you on the other side, love.”

And so, underneath the beautiful night sky, Harry closed his eyes one final time. And when he opened them again, seeing his parents waiting with open arms, he smiled sadly, before speaking again.

“Hi mum. Hi dad. It’s been a while.”


	2. Worth it

“What’s wrong sweetheart?”

Harry looked up to see his mother looking at him, concern showing openly in her eyes. Ever since he had shown up in...whatever this place was called (Heaven? Elysium?), he would go through random periods of sadness. 

Of course, James, Lily, and Sirius all knew it wasn’t random. They knew exactly why he was feeling that way.

“I just...I miss her, mum.” 

It had been a long 50 years since that fateful day. Confessing his love for her and dying hours later. It had definitely been a day of highs and lows. 

The only way he knew she was alright was that she still hadn’t arrived. At least, he hoped she hadn’t. He wouldn’t know what he’d do if it turned out she had arrived already but was purposefully avoiding him.

He felt his mum’s arms embrace him, and he leaned into it. Years of being with them finally made it so he didn’t flinch every time someone held him. 

He’d only ever let Hermione hold him before.

“Well, when you’re up for it, you wanna help me make some dinner tonight? I’m making your father’s favourite tonight, but we both know he loves it whenever you make it.” He smiled at her, and nodded.

He found that he loved doing regular and mundane things. Cooking, cleaning, sleeping were all still things that needed to be done, they were all just much easier than down in the real world.

With a sigh, he stood up and shoved his hands in his pockets. He knew he wouldn’t be out of his funk for a while, so he decided to go for a walk.

Wherever this place was, he long decided that it was definitely the most beautiful place he had seen. The Potter’s and the others who were related to them were all gathered in small town, surrounded by these gigantic mountains and beautiful lakes and forests. Every now and then, it would rain, but never heavily so. It was the kind of rain that you’d curl up at home next to the window, and read a book as you listened to the soft pitter-patter of the rain hitting the roof above your head.

Before he realized, the sun had begun to set, and he found himself in a familiar spot. One that he visited every year, in fact. He stood in the middle of an open field, the same place he had arrived in when he first showed up. He sat down, watching the orange sky above turn into navy blue, and he gave a sad smile at the sight of the stars.

“I’m here again, just like clockwork,” he said to himself. Every week, he’d come here, and speak out into the wilderness, imagining he was speaking to her. 

“It’s been a pretty good week so far, Mione,” he said. “Sirius and Dad roped me and a bunch of other Potter’s into one huge Quidditch game, which I swear lasted a few days.” He let out a chuckle, before speaking again. “I swear, Mum had their ears sore. They had delayed her perfect dinner by hours because of the game, and decided that they were the sole people responsible for it.”

He laid down onto the grass, his hands behind his head. “Mr and Mrs Longbottom threw a dinner party yesterday, and I’m almost ashamed at how long it took for me to have a proper sit down and talk session with them. I told them all about Neville, and how proud both of us are at him. They honestly can’t wait til he shows up here, now that they’re back to their normal selves.”

He was silent for a little while afterwards, before a tear fell down his face.

“God, I miss you so much. I know I said I’d wait as long as it took, but it hurts so badly.” He sniffled, and let out a shaky breath. “I know you’re doing amazing things though, and I would never ask you to rush.”

He stood up and looked up into the stars, a forceful sigh leaving his body. 

“Do everything you need to do before you make your way up here, love. We’ve still got eternity ahead of us.” 

He scrunched his face up, before turning around. It was a short walk back home, and he didn’t want to keep his mother waiting too long. 

“Harry?”

He froze, his eyes widening. He knew that voice. It was more refined than before, but it still carried that same tone of voice he loved. He turned slowly, and gasped.

There she was.

She was more beautiful than he remembered. Wearing formal robes, a pair of glasses perched on her nose, stood the love of his life. He looked into her eyes, and watched as they immediately filled with tears.

“A-am I dreaming?” She slowly put one foot in front of the other, her hand shaking and it slowly reached out to him. He strode to meet her, and he stopped a few feet away. She hesitated, as if she was afraid he was nothing more than an illusion. But her fingers met solid mass, and a sob forced it’s way out of her throat.

“I’m real, Mione. I’m really here.”

That proved to be her undoing, and she flung herself into his waiting arms. She let out a cry of joy before burying her face into his neck, and he grinned.

She still smelled like the parchment and fire he remembered.

She pulled back and looked at him properly. “You’re even more handsome than I remember.” 

“You’re even more beautiful than I remember.”

She pulled him towards her forcefully, kissing him with all she had. It was like a fireworks show had gone off, and her hands gripped his hair tightly, his own holding her hips in place. 

They panted heavily when they separated, her not leaving his arms. 

“You waited. You really waited.”

“Of course I waited, you silly girl. I love you too much to leave.”

“Oh Harry, I love you too. I missed you so much. There’s so much I need to tell you,” she choked out. Her hand was still on his cheek, and he leaned into it.

“I missed you just the same, love. Tell me everything. I intend on showing you off to everyone here.” He snaked his arm around her shoulders, and with a grin plastered on both their faces, they walked back towards the small town ahead.

“Oh, and Hermione?”

“Yeah Harry?”

“Welcome home.”


End file.
